Improvement in the manufacture of coke



UNITED ASTATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF COKE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,714, dated August 1, 1871.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that we, VALTER McPHEETERs and CHARLES PEARGE, of Harmony, in the county of Clay and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Making Coke; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the aecompanyin g drawing forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in ovens and a new process for making coke of slack bitulninous coal; and it consists in an oven composedl of lfour vertical side brick or stone walls, traversed between said walls in both directions by A-shaped flues, formed of planks or slabs of wood, whereon the slack coal is packed as high as the walls will admit, around numerous small pieces of wood set endwise upon the iiues, to form vertical passages by being drawn out after the slack is packed. The fire is then set in each end of the largest iiue. It is then allowed to burn a sufficient time to expel the sulphur, and the fire put out by flooding.

After the nre is started, should the slack become heated unevenly-that is to say, become hotter in one portion of the oven than another-the heat maybe reduced by covering such overheated portion with earth or clay, which is removed when an even temperature throughout the oven is attained; or it may be suflicient to reduce the heat in any portion of the oven to drop balls of mud over the vertical flues in the overheated portion, thus shutting off the draft and causing the heat to be evenly diffused throughout the slack.

Figure 1 is a top view of a part of the oven. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line :v as, Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a section in the line y y of Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. Y

A represents the verticalV side walls. B represents A-shaped flues traversing the space between the walls on the ground, said iues being formed of two pieces of planks or slabs, placed with one edge on the ground at a suitable distance apart, with the upper edges meeting and resting together. C represents short lines, connecting the long ones B made in the same way. D represents short pieces of wood, set upon the tops of the flues B to form vertical flues in the slack, which lis then packed hard around them on the flues B and C, said' pieces to be drawn out afterward and leave vertical holes.

The slack packed in this way as high as the walls will allow is treated by lires set in the ends of the long iues and allowed to burn till the slack gets hot.

For making a more sightly article, we pack or cover the slack with common clay mortar. Then the coke is sufficiently burned the earth or clay is removed and the fire quenched by water.

The slabs or plank used for the iiues burn out and leave room for cinders and all foreign mat-W//v ters to collect, which cannot be in an ordinary oven.

By this plan we are enabled to provide cokingovens at triflin g expense, with which we may accomplish the work as fast and as well as with the costly ovens now used, requiring' great outlays of capital.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The improved coking-oven, consistingof the vertical brick or stone walls A and `wood-fines B C, substantially as speciiied.

2. In combination with the subject-matter of our iirst clause of claim, the vertical fines D made in the slack, in the manner and for the purpose described.

3. The improved process for making coke of bituminous slack, consisting in burning the slack packedover wood-nues with vert-ical lines formed in it, and covered with earth or clay, all substantially as specified.

' WALTER MCPHEETERS.

CHARLES PEARCE. Witnesses:

SrLAs R. TERRY, JOHN J. STErHENsoN. 

